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The World Cup clash with England's Lionesses has pushed aside restaurant bookings, trivia nights, movies - and football trainingGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastCaught up in Matildas mania, Australians are abandoning everything from live gigs to restaurant bookings to watch the World Cup semi-final against England on Wednesday night.For some it's an economic boon but even many who have given up a night's earnings have said they were happy to do so.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Activist Mikaela Loach staged protest over investment firm's bankrolling' of the climate crisisA leading climate crisis author has staged a walkout at the Edinburgh international book festival in protest at its sponsor's links to fossil fuel companies.The author and climate activist Mikaela Loach interrupted a discussion about changing the climate narrative on Saturday evening to lead a demonstration about the festival's main sponsor, the investment company Baillie Gifford. Continue reading...

Met Office issues yellow warning until 9pm on Monday, after which conditions should become drier and much warmerA yellow weather warning of heavy, persistent rain and possible flooding has been issued for parts of Wales and northern England on Monday.After the downpours, however, there should be sunshine with temperatures expected to reach 30C (86F) in southern England by the weekend, the Met Office said. Continue reading...

Tim Loughton criticises announcement as hostage to fortune' after more than 500 people cross Channel on SaturdayA senior Conservative MP has questioned the government's immigration strategy, after 509 people were found to have crossed the Channel on the same day six people lost their lives off the French coast.Tim Loughton, the MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, said it was not a good idea" for the Tories to boast of a week dedicated to immigration announcements, which they billed as small boats week", as it was a hostage to fortune". Continue reading...

Asylum seekers were evacuated from vessel following detection of bacteria that can cause legionnaires' diseaseThe clean-up of legionella bacteria on the Bibby Stockholm barge could take around a week, a leading expert has said, after asylum seekers were evacuated from the vessel following the detection of the health hazard.Legionella bacteria can cause legionnaires' disease, a type of severe pneumonia, if small droplets of water containing the bacteria are inhaled. In some cases, legionnaires' disease can be fatal. Continue reading...

Fred Thomas has been selected as the Labour candidate to run against the veteran's minister at the next electionA former Royal Marines captain is aiming to neutralise Johnny Mercer's electoral trump card" of having a military service record, after being selected by Labour to stand against the veterans' minister at the next general election.Fred Thomas, 31, who spent seven years in the elite commando force, will be attempting to overturn a nearly 13,000 Conservative majority in Plymouth Moor View. Continue reading...

Officials say 900 homes were left without power following disaster, which struck after unusually high rainfall and two typhoonsA mudslide in China's north-western city of Xi'an has killed 21 people, with six still missing, officials said on Sunday.The city's emergency management authority released an update on the number of casualties from Friday's disaster as China grapples with unusually high summer rainfall. Continue reading...

Thaigo Menezes Flausino, who dreamed of becoming a footballer, is the ninth child in a shooting this year in RioThose who knew Thiago Menezes Flausino described him as a boy with dreams. These were brutally shattered by several police bullets this week, when the 13-year-old became the latest victim of state violence in a Rio de Janeiro favela.He dreamed of becoming a professional footballer. He'd passed tryouts for a bigger team and was going to start playing on the day he was killed," said his aunt Nataly Bezerra Flausino, standing outside the evangelical church where her nephew's funeral was being held on Tuesday - mere months after his baptism. Continue reading...

England's health secretary says devolved administrations have worse backlogs, which they robustly disputeWelsh and Scottish patients who are waiting for treatment on lengthy NHS lists could request care on the health service in England, Steve Barclay has said.The health secretary invited ministers from the devolved administrations to discuss different approaches taken to address the record backlogs. Continue reading...

Hollywood action has broad support in UK but is hitting livelihoods decimated by pandemic and arts cutsUK film and TV workers have spoken about the devastating effects of the Hollywood strikes on their jobs and livelihoods, with many saying they are struggling to keep afloat.The industrial action by members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Sag-Aftra union which began on 14 July have disrupted the film and television industries for the past month, bringing global production to a standstill and delaying the release of a number of high-profile movies. The focus has been on residuals - the payments that performers receive for repeat showings of films and TV shows - as well as issues over actors' likenesses being reproduced by artificial intelligence. Continue reading...

Man arrested after teenager suffers fatal injuries in fall from bonnet of moving car in AltrinchamPolice have appealed for witnesses after an 18-year-old man sustained fatal injuries when he fell from the bonnet of a moving car.Greater Manchester police (GMP) said another 18-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. Continue reading...

Stephen Chitty, 70, from Watford raised about 2,000 for Mercy Ships on tiring but rewarding' journeyA 70-year-old man has raised almost 2,000 for charity by completing a 40-day challenge to travel the length and breadth of England entirely by bus.Stephen Chitty, from Watford, Hertfordshire, travelled 1,650 miles on 117 buses. He started and finished his ambitious journey in Watford and travelled to English cities including Newcastle and Norwich. Continue reading...

Charities call for an end to the outsourcing of public debt as firms' turnover rises nearly 50% in a yearBailiffs hired by councils to recover unpaid debts have seen their profits rise to record levels during the cost of living crisis, company filings show.Newlyn Group, which is hired by councils to recover unpaid traffic fines and council tax, saw its turnover from debt collection increase by 43.8% to 25.8m in the year to December 2022, while its gross profit rose to 15.5m. Company documents describe the figures as Newlyn's best ever results". Continue reading...

Mark Speakman's statement comes as Peter Dutton says he will fight for' constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians

Zelenskiy fires regional military recruitment chiefs in anti-corruption drive; Russia gains ground around north-east town of Kupiansk

They were underpaid and trained with broom handles, but that didn't stop the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion fighting for their country

The two big Australian supermarkets under scrutiny at a federal parliamentary inquiry into economic dynamism

Commonwealth DPP reveals 32 criminal cases affected by income apportionment' adjourned while reviewed

Financial anxieties and fear of backlash weigh on those who have just started in roles as they take part in action over payAs junior doctors in England take to the picket line on Friday morning, thousands of them will have been in their roles since only last week after finishing medical school. Now in their first year of foundation training, they will be ending their working week by hanging up their stethoscopes and picking up a placard.The strike is the fifth round of industrial action organised by the British Medical Association (BMA) and is scheduled to run for four full days from 7am amid the bitter dispute with the government over pay. Continue reading...

On Monday, a three-masted schooner will set sail from Plymouth with a crew of young naturalists on a two-year educational trip. Crew members still needed ...On Monday 14 August, when the tide is right, an antique sailing ship will manoeuvre through the lock of Plymouth's historic Sutton harbour and point herself south-west towards the Canary Islands. It will be the start of a two-year voyage around the world taking in 32 ports and involving thousands of people in a groundbreaking geographical project, Darwin200, which aims, among other things, to inspire the environmental leaders and scientists of the future.Not only that, adventurous souls can apply to be part of the crew on epic voyages between, for example, Tahiti and the Cook Islands, or Cape Town and the Falklands. Continue reading...

Alexander Csergo has been in prison on remand since April as court told police don't have a timeframe' for obtaining further evidence

State media urges citizens to focus on ensuring the safety' of propaganda relating to the Kim dynastyNorth Koreans have been told to do everything possible to protect portraits of the Kim dynasty, as the country braces for heavy rain and strong winds caused by tropical storm Khanun.The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Korean Workers' party, said people's foremost focus" should be on ensuring the safety" of propaganda portraits of its current leader, Kim Jong-un, his father, Kim Jong-il, and his grandfather and North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung. Continue reading...

The pandemic, cost-of-living crisis and the climate emergency are influencing responses to the largest-ever survey of young peopleGetting a good education and a job are the top priorities for 10 to 24-year-olds, according to the preliminary results of the largest-ever global survey of young people.More than 700,000 were asked what would improve their wellbeing. About 40% cited education and work, while 21% said safety and 16% good health and nutrition. Continue reading...

Ahern led the state from December 1987 to September 1989 after a prominent stint as a National party minister under Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen

Liberal deputy leader Natalie Ward says opposition will scrutinise appointment of Josh Murray after minister intervened to select him

Cutting ties with green charity is part of culture war campaign to associate Labour with lefty lawyers' and eco mobs' Sunak will go down in history as failing UK on climate, Greenpeace says

Exclusive: Joint chiefs of charity accuse ministers of pursuing culture wars as extreme weather becomes the normRishi Sunak's government will go down in history" as the administration that failed the UK on the climate crisis while ministers pursued a dangerous culture war, the heads of Greenpeace have said.The charity's joint executive directors described government briefings against the organisation in the wake of its oil protest at the prime minister's Yorkshire home as really dark stuff", which revealed a worrying trend towards exploiting environmental protests as a wedge issue. Continue reading...

Open letter criticises government for stonewalling environmental group after protest at prime minister's houseThe co-executive directors of Greenpeace, Areeba Hamid and Will McCallum, have written an open letter to the prime minister expressing their concern over the government's reluctance to engage' with Greenpeace.Here is their letter in full: Continue reading...

Deal will create a US luxury fashion conglomerate that will rival major competitors in Europe, including LVMHTapestry, the parent company of Coach, announced it is purchasing Capri Holdings, owner of Michael Kors and other luxury fashion brands for $8.5bn.The deal will create an American luxury fashion conglomerate that will rival major competitors in Europe, including fashion behemoth LVMH and Gucci owner Kering. Continue reading...

Leaflet is latest example of Tory MP's hostile comments about Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities over 25 yearsLast week, the Welsh secretary, David TC Davies, insisted he meant no criticism with a leaflet that warned voters: Gypsy and Traveller site coming to your area soon!" before asking them: Would you like to see a Traveller site next to your house?"Despite being accused of creating a hostile environment", Davies was defended by the deputy prime minister, Oliver Dowden, who said his colleague was merely highlighting the failings of the local Labour council.This article was amended on 10 August 2023. An earlier version said that in 1999, David TC Davies was a district councillor in Monmouth and quoted him as telling a meeting that Travellers who had set up camp on football fields near Jersey Marine had made it absolutely stinking there". This was a different David Davies and not David TC Davies. Continue reading...

Fernando Villavicencio killed less than two weeks before election amid surge in violent and organised crime in South American countryEcuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio has been shot dead as he left a campaign event in Quito, just days before an election where the central issue is the country's slide into violence and crime.Videos on social media show Villavicencio, a former journalist who has worked for the Guardian and was outspoken about alleged links between organised crime and politics, surrounded by supporters and being escorted by security guards to a waiting vehicle when gunshots ring out as people start to scream and take cover. Continue reading...

At Australian parliamentary hearing, company points to content being shared out of outrage to raise awareness of an issue'

Chairman of London Southbank Centre said he spotted image behind counter at Farrants in CobhamA shop in Surrey has been accused of racism over an image that appears to show black people working on a tobacco plantation overseen by white men, after a friend of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex saw it while shopping.Misan Harriman, the chairman of London's Southbank Centre and a photographer who has taken portraits of the Sussexes, said he was speechless when he spotted the image behind the counter in Farrants in Cobham while shopping for his daughters on Tuesday, adding he was lucky they were not in the shop with him. Continue reading...

The Canadian singer, songwriter and guitarist, who worked extensively with Bob Dylan and Martin Scorsese, died in Los Angeles after a long illnessSinger, songwriter and guitarist Robbie Robertson, best known as a member of the Band, died on Wednesday in Los Angeles at the age of 80. He had suffered from a long illness, according to a statement released by his management.Robertson's manager of 34 years, Jared Levine, wrote: Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, including his wife, Janet, his ex-wife, Dominique, her partner Nicholas, and his children Alexandra, Sebastian, Delphine and Delphine's partner Kenny. He is also survived by his grandchildren Angelica, Donovan, Dominic, Gabriel and Seraphina." In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations be made to the Six Nations of the Grand River to support a new Woodland Cultural Center". Continue reading...

Culture minister asks general security agency to act to prevent screening as anti-LGBT rhetoric ramps upLebanon's culture minister moved to ban the film Barbie from the country's cinemas on Wednesday, saying it promoted homosexuality" and contradicted religious values.Mohammad Mortada is backed by the powerful Shia Muslim armed group Hezbollah, whose head, Hassan Nasrallah, has ramped up his rhetoric against the LGBT community, saying it poses an imminent danger" to Lebanon and should be confronted". Continue reading...

Budget retailer and adviser PwC have until Monday to find new fundingThe troubled budget retailer Wilko has stopped offering home deliveries for orders on its website as it holds last-ditch talks on a potential rescue deal.The household and garden products retail chain, which has about 400 stores, warned last week that it was on the brink of collapse, with more than 12,000 jobs at risk. Continue reading...

Government delays full introduction of digital certificates intended to cut paperwork for producersA trial of a system designed to cut red tape for fish exporters after Brexit is to end without an immediate replacement, sparking dismay in the salmon industry.The digitisation of the paper health certificates required for all fish and chilled food being exported to Europe was intended to save them time and up to 3m on post-Brexit paperwork. Continue reading...

Opposition won't support 60-day dispensing policy that allows patients to buy two months of medicine for price of one over concerns community pharmacies will be forced to close

Police seek witnesses after pair injured by object launched from pedestrian walkway above Fife roadA man and woman have been taken to hospital after a concrete slab was launched at a taxi from a pedestrian flyover in Scotland.The incident took place on the B921 as the taxi headed towards Kinglassie in Fife at about 12.30am on Sunday. The man and woman, both 37, were taken to Glenrothes hospital for treatment. Continue reading...

Jamie Starrs, 20, was sentenced for his assault on Amber Gibson, 16, who was killed five months laterA man who raped a teenage girl before she was sexually assaulted and murdered by her older brother has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.Amber Gibson, 16, was sexually assaulted by Jamie Starrs while she was incapacitated at a property in Bothwell, South Lanarkshire, in June 2021. Five months later, Amber was sexually assaulted and murdered by her older brother, Connor Gibson. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Consulting firm did not disclose Santos work before being paid to assist the government's future of gas statement' that paved way for Narrabri gas development

Police say suspect has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm after man was stabbed on TuesdayA man has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm after a stabbing near the British Museum in central London, Scotland Yard has said.Officers said a man was being treated for a stab wound to his arm and his condition was being assessed after the incident at the junction of Great Russell Street and Museum Street at about 10am on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Textbook apparently written in just five months is part of Kremlin's tightening of control over historical narrative in schools

Mountain rescue teams and coastguard helicopters searched for two men and a woman on Aonach Eagach in Glen CoeThe bodies of three hillwalkers have been recovered from a mountainside in the Scottish Highlands after they failed to return from a trek, police have said.Police Scotland said concerns were raised shortly after 9pm on Saturday when the trio did not return from their walk of the Aonach Eagach ridge in Glen Coe. Coastguard helicopter and mountain rescue teams searched the area and three bodies were found. Continue reading...

OnlyFans performer claims journalist went by same name allegedly used to offer ex-Sun colleagues money for sexual imagesIt has been three weeks since allegations against the outspoken broadcaster Dan Wootton emerged.Since then, he has continued to present his regular show on GB News while the publishers of the Sun and MailOnline have begun separate investigations, and an MP has asked questions about inquiries into the conduct of the rightwing polemicist.If you wish to contact the author of this article with further information, please email jim.waterson@theguardian.com or contact the Guardian securely. Continue reading...

Man from A Coruna had been praised for trying to track down unclaimed ticket's owner - whom police foundA lottery ticket seller hailed as a good samaritan 11 years ago for apparently trying to track down the owner of an unclaimed winning ticket worth 4.7m (4.05m) faces a possible six-year jail sentence on charges that he defrauded the rightful owner of their winnings.Police allege that Manuel Reija Gonzalez, a ticket seller in the north-western Spanish city of A Coruna, told the winner of the lottery drawn in June 2012 that his ticket was worth just over a euro and then, with the help of his brother, who worked for the national lottery, attempted to cash in the ticket himself. Both brothers have denied any wrongdoing. Continue reading...

Capital and south-east become more attractive to investors as other areas fall behind, academic study findsThe London economy and parts of the south-east have become more attractive to investors than the rest of Britain over the past year, according to a study.A report by academics at the University of Cardiff and Nottingham Business School found that out of 362 areas across England, Wales and Scotland, nine of the top 10 in a competitiveness index were London boroughs. Continue reading...

First large-scale UK investigation of its kind discovers social deprivation and ethnicity both affect sleepPeople living in deprived areas of the UK have poorer sleep quality than those in affluent areas, the first large-scale study of sleep across the population has found.Black people reported the worst sleep overall, with the research finding both social deprivation and ethnicity affect sleep quality, irrespective of age, sex, personal wealth, employment and education. Continue reading...

Internal document warns large numbers' could be affected if disease breaks out on barge planned to house asylum seekersMinisters hope to move asylum seekers on to the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge on Monday despite warnings in an internal health document that many could be infected if there was an outbreak of a disease such as diphtheria on board.A draft outbreak management plan" for the barge was released after a freedom of information request to NHS Dorset. The plan warns: accommodation providers should be aware that in the event of a significant outbreak large numbers of staff as well as residents may be impacted. Contingency plans for surge staffing to maintain minimum numbers should be in place." Continue reading...

Members pay tribute to great man' who played with band in 1970sThe Kinks have paid tribute to their former bandmate John Gosling after his death at the age of 75.Brothers Ray and Dave Davies formed the Kinks in the 1960s, with Gosling joining the band in 1970 as a keyboard player. Continue reading...